Realize the Increasingly Wide Generation Gap 認(rèn)識日益擴(kuò)大的代溝
1 日益擴(kuò)大的代溝
The generational gap is and was a term popularized in Western countries during the 1960s referring to differences between people of a younger generation and their elders, especially between a child and their parent's generation.
Although some generational differences have existed throughout history, because of more rapid cultural change during the modern era differences between the two generations increased in comparison to previous times, particularly with respect to such matters as musical tastes, fashion, culture and politics. This may have been magnified by the unprecedented size of the young generation during the 1960s, which gave it unprecedented power and willingness to rebel against societal norms.
The 1970s and 1980s are characterized as being an era rampant with child neglect, as shown by such phenomenon as latchkey kids. This period lies between the family-oriented 1950s and 1960s and the "Baby on Board" parenting-focused era of the late 1980s to the present.
In the 1990s and 2000s, cultural differences concerning what should be the sexual norm, as well as new technology, political differences, workplace behavior, age of consent, age of responsibility, the education system, and many other political, cultural, and generational issues, has produced a generation gap between Generation X and Y and their Baby Boomer parents. However, many Baby Boomers grew up during the late 1960s, and can relate to their young offspring better than their parents related to them and are more willing to tackle subjects such as drugs and sex with their children. Nevertheless, the portrayal of teenagers in popular reality television channels, like MTV, has caused concern for parents and a sense of alienation amongst teens and young adults of today.
2 不同年代人的表達(dá)方式
(1)The Four Books 四書
Generation X: The 1980s (X代人)
The 1970s and 1980s are characterized as being an era rampant with child neglect, as shown by such phenomenon as latchkey kids. This period lies between the family-oriented 1950s and 1960s and the "Baby on Board" parenting-focused era of the late 1980s to the present.
The 1990s and 2000s: Boomers vs. Generation X and Y ("嬰兒潮代"和X代人和Y代人)
In the 1990s and 2000s, cultural differences concerning what should be the sexual norm, as well as new technology, political differences, workplace behavior, age of consent, age of responsibility, the education system, and many other political, cultural, and generational issues, has produced a generation gap between Generation X and Y and their Baby Boomer parents. However, many Baby Boomers grew up during the late
1960s, and can relate to their young offspring better than their parents related to them and are more willing to tackle subjects such as drugs and sex with their children. Nevertheless, the portrayal of teenagers in popular reality television channels, like MTV, has caused concern for parents and a sense of alienation amongst teens and young adults of today.
四代人往往有一些別稱或者說特別的稱呼,比較流行的是:1980年至1988年出生的"Y代人"(80后)、1965年至1979年出生的"X代人"、1946年至1964年出生的"嬰兒潮代"和1945年以前出生的老一輩人。時間越后,代與代之間的距離越呈擴(kuò)大化趨勢。
Nowadays, many young people are complaining that their parents can not understand them very well. They say that their parents take care of every aspect of their lives, leaving them unable to have their private space.
現(xiàn)在,許多年輕人抱怨他們的父母不太了解他們,他們認(rèn)為父母對他們生活的各個方面干涉太多,使得他們沒有自己的空間。
Yet, parents are worried that their children don't show any respect to them and never give them any trust.
然而,父母卻擔(dān)心孩子對他們不夠尊重和信任。
Consequently, the household phrases spreading.
這種現(xiàn)象的結(jié)果使得"代溝"一詞廣為流傳。
I think we should first admit that there are indeed some differences between parents and children. Then, we should try to take some time to communicate with each other frequently.
首先我們應(yīng)該承認(rèn)父母與孩子之間的確存在著差異。然后,我們應(yīng)該經(jīng)?;〞r間去溝通。
Only by their joint efforts can the parents and children bridge the generation gap between them.
只有通過他們的共同努力,父母和孩子才能拉近彼此的距離。
Workers aren't bridging the generation gap because 20-something employees rarely chat to those in their 50s and 60s, according to a new survey.
一項最新調(diào)查顯示,員工之間也有"代溝",20多歲的員工很少與五六十歲的員工交流。
The lack of communication could create a shortage of US skilled labor because retiring baby boomers aren't passing on their knowledge and experience.
年輕員工與年長員工之間缺乏交流會導(dǎo)致熟練勞動力的短缺,因為將要退休的"嬰兒潮一代"無法將他們在工作中積累的經(jīng)驗和知識傳授給年輕員工。
The different generations of employees do not have the same expectations of work and values of employment, which is a difficult gap to bridge.
不同年代員工的職業(yè)期望和就業(yè)價值觀不同,這是一個難以彌合的鴻溝。
We often hear about the "generation gap" that occurs between parents and children when it comes to music, morals, fashion and a host of other things.
我們總能聽到父母和孩子之間存在"代溝",在音樂、道德準(zhǔn)則、時尚以及很多事情上雙方看法都不同。
Now there is a generation lap, the tendency for young people to be increasingly more technically savvy than their parents or elders.
如今,又出現(xiàn)了一個"代圈",指年輕人在技術(shù)應(yīng)用方面的能力正逐步超過他們父輩。
This gap exists in the use of technology where the young generation has become the authority, effectively flipping the typical parental and professional hierarchy on its head in many respects.
年輕人已經(jīng)成為主導(dǎo)的技術(shù)應(yīng)用領(lǐng)域,這種差距已普遍存在,并且已經(jīng)在很多方面顛覆了傳統(tǒng)的由父輩掌控一切的局面。
They're not just ahead of their parents in the way they use technology, they've lapped their parents and are working at a whole new level.
在技術(shù)應(yīng)用方面,這一代年輕人不只是超過了父輩,而且是已經(jīng)遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)領(lǐng)先在前,到了一個全新的工作層面。
That's why there is an unbelievable example from Finland where the government has hand-selected 5000 Net Generations to train the country's teachers how to use computers. The students are the teachers and the teachers will be the students.
所以芬蘭才會有這樣讓人不可思議的一個舉動,政府精心挑選出5000名新生代網(wǎng)絡(luò)達(dá)人,讓他們教本國教師使用電腦。學(xué)生變身為老師,而老師則變身為學(xué)生。
There are so many differences between generations because each has a different deposit of culture and experiences.
代與代之間有很多的差異,這是因為不同代人之間有不同的文化底蘊(yùn)以及經(jīng)驗。
To some extent generation gap has become a social problem.
在一定程度上而言,代溝已經(jīng)成為一個社會問題。
Yet we find it absolutely difficult to solve because there's no way to smooth away these differences.
找到消除代溝的辦法是非常困難的,因為幾乎沒有方法能完全抹平差異。
Many people think that generation gap is a modern phrase.
很多人認(rèn)為代溝現(xiàn)象是個現(xiàn)代課題。
But the great philosopher Socrates three thousand years ago already gave his description of the young in his society. He said, "They have no manners at all. They despise on the authority, con-tradict their parents and beat their teachers. They devour the food ravenously and talk on and on leaving no chance for the other to speak. "
但是,三千年前,偉大的哲學(xué)家蘇格拉底已經(jīng)給出了他所在社會的年輕人的描述。"他們一點都不懂禮儀。他們藐視權(quán)力,和他們的父母背向而行,還打他們的老師。他們狼吞虎咽地吃食物,一直說話,不讓人有插嘴的機(jī)會"。
Thus it can be seen that the generation gap has a much longer history than we thought.
所以可以看出來,代溝有著比我們所認(rèn)為的還要長的歷史。
Generation gap doesn't come from differences between generations, but results from lack of understanding between them, and mutual understanding depends on how well two generations communicate.
代溝并不是來自代與代之間的差異,而是因為他們之間缺少理解,而互相理解是以兩代人的互相溝通為前提的。
Generation gap can be bridged as long as both parents and children are willing to make efforts.
代溝是可以縮小的,只要父母和孩子都愿意努力。
With the change of the world over decades, the attitude of the young has altered too.
隨著這些年世界的不斷變化,年輕人的態(tài)度也變化了。
Linda: Bella, is there generation gap between you and your parents?
琳達(dá):貝拉,你和你父母之間有代溝嗎?
Bella: Yes, of course.
貝拉:當(dāng)然有啊。
Linda: How to bridge the generation?
琳達(dá):怎樣解決代溝問題呢?
Bella: I'm afraid that's not an easy thing to explain.
貝拉:我認(rèn)為這不是那么容易說清楚的。
Linda: Of course, this is a big problem.
琳達(dá):那是當(dāng)然。這可是個大問題。
Bella: What do you think of the reason why generation gap appears?
貝拉:你認(rèn)為代溝是怎么產(chǎn)生的?
Linda: First, the young and their parents often fail to talk with each other. Even sometimes they hear each other, but they do not put them in heart. By doing this, they send false message to each other .As the result, their two different worlds meet head on and
琳達(dá):首先。父母和孩子之間沒能好好溝通。即便他們有時候也會傾聽對方的想法,但他們并沒有在心理上給予足夠的重視。這樣做的結(jié)果就是他們會相互傳達(dá)一些錯誤的信息。這樣就會導(dǎo)致意見向左,代溝也就隨之產(chǎn)生了。
Bella: Oh, I see. How to bridge the generation?
貝拉:哦。明白了。你認(rèn)為應(yīng)該怎樣填平這個代溝呢?
Linda: For the parents, they should treat their children as free men not children. After all, they are young and they have their own ideas. Whether they are wrong or not, parents should expect their children's ideas .If they are truly wrong, parents should have
琳達(dá):對父母而言,他們應(yīng)該將孩子視為是自由的個體,畢竟孩子還年輕。他們有自己的想法,無論是對還是錯,父母都應(yīng)尊重孩子的意見。如果孩子的想法真的存在問題,那么父母就應(yīng)該有足夠的耐心讓孩子慢慢意識到自己的錯誤。
Bella: That's right .I agree with you.
貝拉:說得對。我同意你的觀點。
Linda: It is really a big question. But I think it can be solved.
琳達(dá):我認(rèn)為代溝的確是個大問題,但是是可以解決的。
Bella: Yeah, it will be easy to tackle if the children can understand their parents' concern about them.
貝拉:是啊,如果孩子們能理解父母的苦心,那么就很好解決了。
Linda: When they are grown up, they will.
琳達(dá):當(dāng)他們長大了,他們就會明白。